First Day Jitters
by QueenY C
Summary: Booth is anxious, Brennan is excited and Sweets, well, he's been waiting on this moment for a long time. A oneshot in the Heartbeat Universe following life after Joy's arrival.


**Author: QueenyC**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or any of the charters or locations affiliated with it. If I did, I'd be doing more with them then posting stories in fan fiction.**

**A/N: Welcome back (not that I was gone long) Heartbeat fans! This is the first in many (because I keep adding more to my list for some reason) oneshots centered around the Heartbeat-Universe. It takes place about seven weeks after Joy's untraditional birth. If you haven't read my story The Feel of A Heartbeat, this isn't gonna make much sense! :)**

**First Day Jitters**

Booth woke up to the sound of a baby cooing and smiled as he reached over to Brennan's side of the bed. The smile quickly slipped off his face when he found only cold sheets.

"Bones," he mumbled sleepily, sitting up in bed and rubbing a hand over his face. "Babe?"

When there was no response but Joy's continued bubble-blowing from the crib in the corner of the room he stood up and fished the baby out with a raspberry to her tummy. "Good morning, HappyGirl," he sang. "Where's Mommy, huh?"

"Booth?"

"Ah, the Siren's summons," Booth chuckled, cradling Joy to his chest and following the voice of his girlfriend into the kitchen. Brennan was dressed in tight, black dress pants with her favorite tan blazer nursing a cup of coffee and flipping through one of her science journals at the table. "You're dressed already," he asked with a frown. "Bones, it's like six in the morning."

"Six-thirty," she clarified. Correcting him was like a hobby for her. "I couldn't sleep."

"Nervous about your first day back?"

Brennan frowned. "Excited, actually. Why would I be nervous?"

"Because I am," He laughed. Giving in on getting the woman back into bed he eased into a chair at their breakfast table and settled Joy into his lap.

He noticed Brennan's eyes train on the little girl for several moments before she spoke. "Oh," she said as if she'd had an epiphany, "you mean because of Sweets' assessment today to determine if we can remain partners."

Booth resisted the urge to roll his eyes and laughed, "Yeah, Bones, that's why I'm nervous."

"Well, Booth, given our solve rate, it would be very foolish for the FBI to split us up. Especially since I have made it clear, as have my team, that we will not be cooperating with any other agents."

"Yeah, Bones," Booth nodded, unable to keep the smile off his face at the affection he felt for his little Squint-family, "But telling the FBI you won't do something and actually _not_ doing it is completely different."

"I always follow through, Booth," Brennan replied. "Besides, I feel this is all irrelevant. The FBI was willing to maintain our partnership when I was planning to have a baby with you."

"Yeah," Booth nodded, "But that was in a strictly donor-donee situation. Now we're dating and living together."

Brennan sighed. "The only real difference in our relationship, Booth, is that we now have sex—"

"Bones! Baby in the room," Booth interrupted with a hiss, placing his hands gently over his daughters ears. Joy looked up at him with unfocused eyes and smiled.

"She's far too young to understand the word 'sex,' Booth," Brennan scoffed. "Would you prefer I said 'intercourse?'"

"I'd prefer you didn't talk about it in front our kid," He scolded.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "Fine. The only difference in our relationship before Joy is that we are now parents _together_, instead of separately. Our dynamic has never changed."

"No, it hasn't," Booth agreed, a smile gracing his face again of its own accord. That was the best part for him. Bones was still Bones, he was still Booth. There was just an 'us' attached to the equation now.

"Logically, it would be foolish for the FBI to split us up based on the quantifier of our relationship."

***~BB~***

"I agree with Dr. Brennan on this one," Sweets grinned, taking a moment to appreciate Booth's shocked face.

"Of course you do," Brennan nodded, blunt as always. "It's the only logical conclusion."

Sweets smiled indulgently. In spite of their vast and varied differences, he really did love the emotionally-guarded (because no matter what it appeared, Sweets knew she was not stunted) forensic anthropologist like he imagined he might've loved a sister. "Actually, Dr. Brennan," he chuckled, "When you approached the FBI about Booth being your sperm donor, the decision was made to petition for a waiver in the case of a relationship."

"Wait," Booth said, eyebrows scrunched. "What does that mean?"

Brennan turned to him, her own face quizzical. "It means the FBI has _already_ approved a relationship between us. Why?"

Sweets chuckled. "You're kidding, right? Half this office has been taking bets on when you two will get together. Hacker determined that the best way to avoid any problems was to just assume you two were dating until you actually were."

"That," Brennan grinned, "Is very logical," Then she frowned, "Though I find I am also annoyed by the insertion of this office into my private life."

"People are _betting_ on us?" Booth asked incredulously.

"Well, they were," Sweets shrugged.

"Were you in on it," Booth pressed.

Sweets smiled sheepishly. "I might have cast my vote," she shrugged. "I didn't win."

"Who did?"

"Caroline, I think," Sweets laughed. It was an understatement. She'd taken everyone out for drinks the night she'd heard the news and was now on a week-long vacation in Hawaii.

"Caroline _Julian_," Booth asked in surprise.

"The prosecutor? That is unexpected," Brennan laughed turning to Booth whose mouth was still hanging open at an odd angle.

A knock at the door interrupted any further questions as Charlie stuck his head in and waved a file. "Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Sweets—"

"Honestly, are the words 'in session' sacred to no one?"

"—but I've got a case for Booth and Dr. Brennan."

Booth turned to his girlfriend with a wide smile spreading over his face. "We're back, Baby!"

Brennan rolled her eyes, trying (and failing) to hide a smile. "Booth, we were never gone," she corrected, "And don't call me 'Baby.'"


End file.
